Plant Geek

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

What on earth did we get ourselves into?

This view may or may not have had me in tears a few months ago.

In full disclosure, at seven months pregnant and having the awesome opportunity to renovate a building and try to keep up with everyday life, I was a little overwhelmed. We had talked for several months about when to start phase two of the renovation of The Market. We jumped in after the holidays with a plan for the financing - things were finally in motion.

And then - we had a medical emergency that rocked us to the core. We dutifully followed through and kept the faith. In the end, it all worked out, but not without some sleepless nights and extra anxiety.

And, then, the clouds started to separate and we were ready for decisions to be made. With great patience, Jeremy would bring me to the building and we would talk through each decision. I would leave thinking, "what on earth did we get ourselves into?" and cry just a little bit.

These emotions might have also been fueled by the fact that when you renovate an old building and start from the bottom up, you eventually move to the second floor. It is at that point that all of the dirt and debris from maybe a hundred years or so filters down into the finished space. So, let's add this up - we were packing and unpacking from shows and in between, cleaning up construction dust and chunks of plaster and concrete. Fun times!

One of the best parts of having The Market is staging and showing off some of our great finds. During this season of renovation, we weren't showing off much of anything!

But, like most things, this crazy, out of control season passed. Fast forward a few weeks and when the new electrical was installed on the second floor, I was so excited. We had turned a corner!

Granted, we still have a long way to go. We have picked out paint colors and have some of the "bones" of the space in place. I can clearly see having events in our space and getting to a place where we can stage. We have even picked up a few special pieces that we have in mind for the space and we can't wait to show them off!

Helping us keep the motivation going is the installation of the fence on the north, east and south sides of the property. We got this in place early enough in the growing season that we can begin to design and plant the east courtyard area.

Prairie School Farms

Where to find us

Our physical location is a two story limestone building at 5th and Main in Westmoreland, KS. Renovations are ongoing, so please excuse the dust! We are occasionally deep in the it-has-to-get-messier-before-it-gets-better phase. Stay tuned for updates on the progress. We also exhibit at several shows and events.

About Me

Prairie School Farms, LLC is a small business owned by Jeremy and Emily Lehning. They have a passion for finding antiques and vintage items. They also love farmer's markets, art, handmade and locally grown items. They believe that makers and creatives are some of the best people. Jeremy creates hand painted signs, repurposes furniture and other items into unique home decor pieces, and has an amazing eye for all things vintage. Emily comes from a long line of vintage treasure seekers. She loves styling and decorating and blends vintage, traditional and industrial items for a comfortable and classic feel. The couple loves to work in their garden and yard. Emily is a self-proclaimed plant geek. They have alpacas and offer all natural alpaca yarn, roving and handwoven rugs. These two don't live an ordinary life.